ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
PIB Headquarters
Campaign for “Generation of Ideas and consultation till Branch level – Banker’s meet at Region, State & National level”
As per the instructions issued by Department of Financial Services, MOF, GOI, the first stage of the bottom up consultative process designed to generate ideas and review performance of the Branches and their alignment with the national priorities, was conducted at Chennai on 17th and 18th of August 2019 by Indian Overseas Bank, in the presence of Mr. Karnam Sekar, MD&CEO, involving all the Branches within the Region’s jurisdiction.
This was a first of its kind consultation where the Branches were themselves asked to review their performance, deliberate on the issues before the banking sector and ideate on future strategies and the way forward.
Shri. Karnam Sekar Addressing the staff of Indian Overseas Bank during the meeting held on 17.08.2019 at Regional Office, Chennai.
The meet focused on the ways and means to increase the credit to various sector of the economy, enhanced use of technology to bring about innovation and enable big data analytics, and make banking citizen-centric as well as more responsive to the needs and aspirations of Senior citizens, farmers, small industries, entrepreneurs, youth, Students & women.
The meet was mainly focused on Bank’s performance and its alignment with the national priorities in areas such as:
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1. Credit support for economic growth
2. Infrastructure Industry
3. Farm sector and blue economy
4. Jal Shakti
5. MSME/MUDRA/Stand-up India
6. Education Loans
7. Export credit
8. Green Economy
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9. Swachh Bharat
10. Financial Inclusion & Women’s Empowerment
11. DBT
12. Less cash/Digital Economy
13. Ease Living
14. MSME: Alignment with Local priorities
15. Corporate Social Responsibility
16. Corporate Governance
As a result of the consultation, a number of implementable and innovative suggestions came up on how Indian Overseas Bank in general and Chennai Region in particular, can improve their performance and what the road map for the future should be. These suggestions were collated and have been sent to the Zonal level for further discussions at the SLBC/State level.
The consultative process has resulted in a renewed sense of involvement and purpose down to the Branch level and the Chennai Region is geared towards the implementing the roadmap for the future, improve its performance, and align itself to national priorities so that it may fulfil its mandate of partnering the Indian growth story.
Ministry of Mines
Mineral Production Records 4.2 per cent Cumulative Growth
During April -August 2022- 23
India’s mineral production has recorded 4.2 per cent cumulative growth during the period April- August, 2022-23 over the corresponding period of the previous year. However, as per the provisional statics of Indian Bureau of Mines , Ministry of Mines, the index of mineral production of mining and quarrying sector for the month of August, 2022  at 99.6, was 3.9 per cent lower as compared to the level in the month of August, 2021.
Production level of important minerals in August, 2022 were: Coal 580 lakh tonnes, Lignite 29 lakh tonnes, Natural gas  2829 million cu. m., Petroleum  24 lakh tonnes, Bauxite 1450 thousand tonnes, Chromite 146 thousand tonnes, Copper conc. 9 thousand tonnes , Gold 76 kg, Iron ore 158 lakh tonnes, Lead conc. 35 thousand tonnes, Manganese ore 169 thousand tonnes, Zinc conc. 138 thousand tonnes, Limestone 320 lakh tonnes, Phosphorite 76 thousand tonnes, Magnesite 10 thousand tonnes, and Diamond 17 carat.
Important minerals showing positive growth during August, 2022 over August, 2021 include: Coal , Lead conc , Zinc conc , and Limestone . Other important minerals showing negative growth include: Natural Gas  , Manganese ore , Petroleum  , Magnesite , Copper conc , Gold , Chromite , Bauxite , Iron Ore , Lignite , Phosphorite , and Diamond .
Ministry of Defence
NCC’S PUNEET SAGAR CAMPAIGN TO CULMINATE ON JUNE 5, 2022
NCC has launched the latest phase of its nationwide flagship campaign ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ on 30 May 2022 and it will continue till 5th June 2022, the World Environment Day.
About 74,000 cadets from 10 States and 4 Union Territories will participate in the campaign during this phase. The NCC cadets shall also be joined in by NCC Alumni, locals and tourists in several places across the country. The waste collected during the campaign will be disposed of in an environment friendly manner in cooperation with Government/Private agencies.
Puneet Sagar Abhiyan was launched by NCC to clean Sea Shores/Beaches and other water bodies including rivers & lakes, of plastic & other waste and increase awareness amongst the local population about importance of keeping the beaches and river fronts clean. The purpose of the Abhiyan is to educate locals and sensitise them about ‘Swachh Bharat’.
The campaign has continued unabated with full fervour since its launch in December 2021. Drawing, poster making, essay writing, poetry, article writing, debate, etc are also being conducted at various locations during the campaign.
ABB/SR/SK
(Visitor Counter : 9803
Ministry of Defence
INDIAN ARMY LAUNCHES “HIM- DRONE-A-THON”
The Indian Army in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India has launched the ‘Him Drone-a-thon’ programme on 08 August 22. This initiative in line with Atmanirbharta in defence manufacturing is aimed to catalyse and provide focused opportunities to the Indian drone ecosystem to develop path-breaking drone capabilities for meeting requirements of frontline troops.
The Indian Army’s support to the indigenous drone ecosystem is based on the principle that ‘good available indigenously’ is better than the ‘best available globally’. However, gradual enhancement in technology demanded by defence forces is likely to incentivise manufacture of better and more capable drone products.
The ‘Him Drone-a-thon’ programme is pan India sustained connect between all stake holders including industry, academia, software developers and drone product manufacturers. It will be conducted in stages with quantifiable parameters  being progressively enhanced based on demonstrated capabilities. Broad activities planned include interactions & ideation between users, development agencies, academia etc, seeking of industry responses, visits by development agencies to operational locations to understand the ground perspective & requirements, handholding of development agencies for internal development & on-ground trials and actual conduct & evaluation of drone products.
As a start point, development in the following categories are included:-
o Logistics/ Load carrying Drone in High Altitude Areas.
o Autonomous Surveillance/ Search & Rescue Drone.
o Micro/ Nano Drones for Fighting in Built Up Areas.
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SC/RSR/VKT
(Visitor Counter : 4322
Cabinet
Cabinet approves the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Israel on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding  between India and Israel on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine.
The MoU covers the following areas of cooperation:
- Exchange and training of medical doctors and other health professionals;
- Assistance in development of human resources and setting up of health care facilities;
- Exchange of information regarding regulation of pharmaceutical, medical devices and cosmetics;
- Sharing expertise for vulnerability assessment for health of citizens against climate risk and public health actions targeted towards mitigation and adaptation;
- Sharing of expertise for facilitating climate resilient infrastructure as well as providing support for development of 'Green Healthcare' ;
- Promote mutual research in various relevant areas; and
- Any other area of cooperation as may be mutually decided upon.
Each Party shall encourage the participation of the representatives of their countries in round tables, seminars, symposia, workshops and conferences on issues of cooperation, organized by the other Party's relevant bodies.
Ministry of Science & Technology
MoC to strengthen research cooperation between India and Sweden
A Memorandum of Cooperation  was signed between Science and Engineering Research Board , and The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education , Stockholm, Sweden, to strengthen cooperation and promote research networking between research institutions from both countries.
The MoC was signed on 13 March 2023 by Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary, SERB, and Dr. Andreas Göthenberg, Executive Director, STINT, in the presence of Dr. Erik Forsberg, Representative in APAC, STINT, and Secretary, Department of Science and Technology , Dr. S. Chandrasekhar and Mr. Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.
The MoC aims to promote mobility funding opportunities in both countries. It will facilitate academic cooperation through mobility activities as well as through seminars, workshops and conferences.
In his special address, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary, DST, stressed that many such international collaborations are taking impetus under Hon'ble PM Narendra Modiji, especially in the year of India’s G 20 presidentship and the partnership between India and Sweden will take forward joint S&T efforts particularly in smart cities, artificial intelligence, quantum computer, transportation, and many more futuristic technologies. “This MoC will enable a smooth exchange of activities between our young scientists and Swedish researchers,” he added.
“This is the milestone of the collaboration between India and Sweden and gives the opportunity to Sweden & India to spur cooperation in research and development. It can also lead to more common projects involving interaction between researchers in Sweden & India where they can come together and explore new areas of research”, said Mr. Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.
“I am confident this joint initiative will inspire new research connections between researchers in Sweden and India. A STINT partnership with SERB is a natural step for scaling up academic cooperation between universities in Sweden and India, especially following the call offered by STINT last year for initiating new collaborative projects between universities in the two countries.” said Dr. Andreas Göthenberg, Executive Director, STINT.
Both institutions will facilitate and fund researcher mobility through their regular funding programmes.
Dr. Per-Arne Wikström, Counsellor – Innovation and Science, Office of Science and Innovation, Embassy of Sweden, and other officials from DST, SERB, and Sweden also attended the programme.
The two organisations will announce a call that will focus on funding new mobility projects that will be used to exchange several individuals, including workshops between participating research groups. Researchers and scholars at institutions of higher education in Sweden and research institutions in India are eligible to apply for funding under this call, in which applications will be jointly funded.
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SNC
(Visitor Counter : 1342
Ministry of Labour & Employment
All-India Consumer Price Index Numbers For Agricultural And Rural Labourers – July, 2022
The All-India Consumer Price Index Number for Agricultural Labourersand Rural Labourers  for the month of July, 2022 increased by 6 points each to stand at 1131 and 1143  points respectively. The major contribution towards the rise in general index of Agricultural Labourers and Rural Labourers came from food group to the extent of 4.41 & 4.07 points respectively mainly due to increase in prices ofrice, wheat-atta, bajra, pulses, milk, fishfresh, onion, chillies green/dry, ginger, mixed spices, vegetables & fruits,tea readymade, etc.
The rise in index varied from State to State. In case of Agricultural Labourers, itrecorded an increase of 1 to13 points in 20 States. Tamilnaduwith 1301 points topped the index table whereas Himachal Pradesh with 890 points stood at the bottom.
In case of Rural Labourers, it recorded an increase of 1 to 13 points in 20 States.Tamilnadu with 1290 points topped the index table whereas Himachal Pradesh with 942 points stood at the bottom.
Amongst states, the maximum increase in the Consumer Price Index Numbers for bothAgricultural and Rural Labourerswas experienced by Assam  mainly due to rise in the prices of rice, chilliesgreen, vegetables & fruits, etc.
Point to point rate of inflation based on the CPI-AL and CPI-RL stood at 6.60% &6.82% in July, 2022 compared to 6.43% &6.76% respectively in June, 2022 and 3.92% and 4.09% respectively during the corresponding month of the previous year. Similarly, Food inflation stood at 5.38% & 5.44% in July, 2022 compared to 5.09% & 5.16%respectively in June, 2022 and 2.66%&2.74% respectively during the corresponding month of the previous year.
All-India Consumer Price Index Number :
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Group
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Agricultural Labourers
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Rural Labourers
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June, 2022
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July, 2022
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June, 2022
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July, 2022
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General Index
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1125
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1131
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1137
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1143
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Food
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1052
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1058
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1060
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1066
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Pan, Supari, etc.
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1911
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1913
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1920
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1923
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Fuel & Light
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1261
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1263
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1254
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1255
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Clothing, Bedding &Footwear
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1183
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1190
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1218
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1226
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Miscellaneous
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1191
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1196
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1196
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1201
The CPI – AL and RL for the month of August, 2022 will be released on 20thSeptember, 2022.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Rainwater Harvesting On National Highway Corridors
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued guidelines for providing rainwater harvesting and artificial recharging on all the buildings and structures such as toll plaza building, wayside amenities, grade separated structures etc. which are to be developed as part of the project corridor.
The locations and design of such structures are based on the rainfall intensity and geo-technical strata and also the depth of ground water table and norms issued by Central Ground Water Board. The provision of rain water harvesting and artificial recharging are made part of the scope of highway implementation and upgradation projects and implemented by contractor/concessionaire.
This information was given by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Prime Minister's Office
PM lays Foundation Stone for Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today laid the Foundation Stone of the Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a large public gathering, he described the occasion as the start of a new chapter in the development journey of the State. He praised the leadership provided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the State, and said the State Government is working to create an atmosphere conducive for development in the State. He said the State Government is working for the betterment of various sections of the society.
The Prime Minister said that the 340 kilometer longPoorvanchal Expressway would transform the towns and cities that it passes through. It would also provide swifter connectivity between Delhi and Ghazipur, he added. He said new industry, and institutions can develop along the Expressway. He said the Expressway would also boost tourism in the places of historical significance in the region.
Shri Narendra Modi said that connectivity is necessary for development today. He said the National Highway network in Uttar Pradesh has almost doubled in four years. In this context, the Prime Minister also spoke of initiatives in air connectivity and water connectivity. He added that an effort is being made to make the eastern part of the country, a new corridor of development.
The Prime Minister reiterated his vision of SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas, and stressed on balanced development of the region. On digital connectivity, he mentioned that optical fibre connectivity had been provided for one lakh Panchayats so far, and added that three lakh Common Service Centres are now making the lives of people simpler.
The Prime Minister also spoke of other development initiatives such as PM AwasYojana, PM Gram SadakYojana, and other welfare schemes of the Union Government. He also referred to the recent increase in MSP of Kharif crops, which will benefit farmers.
The Prime Minister criticised attempts by certain elements to stall the law which would provide protection to Muslim women from "triple talaq." He expressed a firm resolve to attempt to make this law a reality. He said that for both the Union Government and State Government of Uttar Pradesh, the nation and its people are paramount.
The Prime Minister said that the Union Government has also taken initiatives for the weavers of this region. In this context he mentioned modern machines, loans at low interest, and the Trade Facilitation Centre in Varanasi. He also mentioned initiatives taken by the State Government.
PIB Headquarters
Revised traffic flow to be effective in Chennai Airport from 27.12.2018
To provide convenience and confirming quick entry and exit to Domestic  and International terminal  at Chennai International Airport, Airports Authority of India has planned to put in place a revised traffic pattern at Chennai Airport w.e.f.1100 hrs on 27.12. 2018.This will reduce the time taken to enter and exit the airport and ease the congestion in front of terminals.
With the introduction of new routing, there will be separate access to departure and arrival levels in both Domestic and International terminals. The vehicle in the departure level have to drop passenger and exit the airport and will not have access to parking facility both in domestic and international terminals.
Similarly, for vehicles arriving to pickup passengers, there will be separate lane only for pick up andseparate for parking. Pickup lane vehicle cannot access parking and after pick up the vehicle has to leave the Airport. The vehicles in parking has to pickup passengers from the designated pickup area in the parking lot and exit the airport.
In order to avoid congestion in front of terminal, the time allowed for vehicles in front of terminal will be minimum required time. However, 10 minutes free time from entry to exit of toll booths will continue. There will be fine imposed to vehicles parking  in front of terminal more than reasonable time.
The pickup will be permitted in front of terminal building only for private vehicles and commercial vehicles are not allowed except authorised cab aggregator Ola. Other pickup  will happen only in the parking area. The vehicle parking charges will remain the same as of now; however, the charges will be revised shortly after the new traffic flow is established satisfactorily.
Hence, all travelling public are requested to strictly follow the traffic signs of respective departure/ arrival terminals while coming to airport. We also sincerely request all the stake holders and passengers to co-operate for smooth operation of the revised traffic flow.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
IFFI 2018 Flash Briefing Skills launched on Amazon Alexa Smart Speakers
Cine Enthusiasts, Film Students Will Benefit From this Initiative
22 Nov 2018, Goa
Voice is the future of communication with the devices around us. Voice is everywhere and already 390 million people around the world are using voice based communication and this would almost triple to 1.83 billion people in the next 3 years.
To reach the audience of such Voice based communication, Press Information Bureau has launched IFFI 2018 Flash Briefing Skills on Amazon Alexa. Now users can listen to IFFI Updates by enabling Press Information Bureau skills on Amazon Alexa. The flash Briefing would provide timely updates on the events happening during IFFI 2018.
With this initiative Press Information Bureau would get an additional platform for reaching out to the audiences. This would supplement the publicity efforts of Government of India reach out to citizens with information of public interests through Press Releases, Social Media platforms and Live streaming of select events.
How to enable IFFI 2018 Flash Briefing Skill:
- Alexa Users can go to https://www.amazon.in/Press-Information-Bureau/dp/B07KK373TD and enable the skill for their speakers.
- Switch on the Speaker and Ask 'Alexa, what's in the news?'
- Alexa will play IFFI 2018 Updates.
Ministry of Science & Technology
India is well on the path towards WHO recommended doctor to population ratio: Dr Vinod Paul
India is well on the path to have one doctor per thousand population by 2024, which is World Health Organisation  recommended doctor to population ratio and is increasing the number of beds from 11 lakh to 22 lakhs, Member, NITI Aayog Dr Vinod Paul highlighted at a discourse series.
“In the last 75 years, India has made significant progress in the health sector. At the time of Independence, the average life was just 28 years, and it has now reached close to 70 years. However, we are still far away from meeting the aspirations of people in terms of access to health services, and this remains a challenge. We have taken a lot of steps to address these problems in the last six-seven years, and results are encouraging,” Dr Paul pointed out at the online Department of Science & Technology  Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Discourse Series New India @ 75, organised by National Council for Science & Technology Communication and Vigyan Prasar.
“Ayushman Bharat Yojna and Jan Arogya Yojna are the programmes that focus on providing all kinds of health facilities to people and are steps towards universal health coverage, affordability and accessibility to health facilities. Under Jan Arogya Yojna, 50 Crore people are eligible now for affordable health services. Major push has been given to primary health care. By the year 2022, 150,000 primary health care centres would be in place in rural as well as urban areas of the country, and these centres would be hub for primary health care. We have taken various steps to address the problem of availability of human resources in health. A very significant push has been given to bridge gaps by training doctors and doubling post-graduate seats,” he added.
Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST, highlighted the contribution of DST in the development and progress of the country in the last 50 years and its efforts to make India the science, technology and innovation power in the world.
“DST is a nursery to help, nurture and grow young talents for the progress and development of the country. DST has the capability to create future talents, and in the last five years, we have launched a whole lot of schemes and have taken various steps to identify loopholes and rectify them to ensure that science, technology and innovation plays the key role in progress and development of the country,” Prof Sharma said.
He spoke about the role of DST in the framing of several policies like the Science Technology and Innovation Policy 2021 that would empower every sector in the country to march towards economic development along with social inclusion and environmental sustainability for achieving an Atmanirbhar Bharat, Geospatial Data Policy that would be a game-changer and help democratization of data in every nook and corner of the country, policy on infrastructure in Science and Technology as well as Scientific Social Responsibility policy.